Breaking the Bank: Longshot Parade

Breaking the Bank - featuring data courtesy of Equibase - highlights the biggest scores of the past week in racing. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
It seems as if racing fans are making a rainbow connection more often than Kermit the Frog.
For the sixth time since Jan. 14, one highly fortunate handicapper turned a 20-cent wager into a vault full of diamonds as Gulfstream Park’s Rainbow Pick 6 Jackpot was hit for a highly lucrative $210,973.74 on March 18.
The latest breaking of the bank came courtesy of the 11th race victory by Black Martino at 14-1 odds. Despite the $31.60 payoff, Black Martino was not the biggest longshot in the sequence. He wasn’t even among the top three in that regard – he was merely the fourth-highest.
The seemingly impossible to solve combination was topped by Silver Menace, who returned $75.60 to win. Also included in the parade of longshots were Key to Power ($35.80), Thisdanseistaken ($33.60) and even Big Looie ($29).
Free as a Bird, a victorious 6-5 favorite, added some sanity to a sequence so improbable the $210,973.74 payoff seemed a tad on the light side.
Those longshots also triggered a series of huge payoffs as Silver Menace capped a $6,784.30 Pick 3 for $1 and a $747.60 double for $2. The Pick 4, consisting of the final four races of the day, returned $14,586.50 for $1.
Interestingly, the Rainbow Pick 6 Jackpot was not the week’s biggest payout. That honor went to the Pick 6 at Santa Anita on March 22, which paid $385,622.40.
The winning combination included three favorites, but was inflated into ritzy six-digit territory by Salsita, who won the sixth race at 41-1 odds and returned $84.20 to win. Salsita was making her first start off a claim by trainer Ricky Agarie and was running for a $25,000 claiming tag after finishing sixth in a $12,500 claimer.
Kudos to those who included her in their Pick 6 play – and hope you enjoy the new Ferrari.
No one hit the Rainbow Pick 6 Jackpot on March 21 at Gulfstream, but whoever cashed on the Pick 5 that day found a rather rewarding rainbow of their own. The 50-cent wager returned a dreamy $108,365.25, even though the highest payoff in the winning sequence belonged to Dreamboat Annie who returned $27 for kicking off the play in race eight.
Among some of the other generous payoffs for the week was the $7,187 return on the 10-cent superfecta – ignited by a 103-1 shot who finished third - in the seventh race at Will Rogers Downs on March 17.
This week’s “head for the exits happy” award went to the ninth race at Laurel on March 21, which allowed some astute handicappers to return home with a wide smile, provided they tabbed 30-1 shot Balto More. Those folks who backed him – perhaps residents of nearby Baltimore – not only cashed a $63.40 win ticket, if they bundled him with 10-1 shot Distiller in the exacta they collected a week’s-best  $776.40 exacta for a $2 bet.
The “How did you come up with that one?” award was taken down by Sortastormy, who returned an extremely sunny $192 for a $2 wager in the seventh race at Sunland Park on March 16 – with some help from the stewards. Yes, Watch the Curves crossed the wire first, but was dropped to fourth for interfering with the favored Afleet Echo, who finished fourth.
Sortastormy, the pacesetter, was basically an innocent bystander, albeit a highly fortunate bystander.
As for the logic in her victory, she was coming off a pair of eighth-place finishes sandwiched around a race in which she stumbled and lost her jockey.
If you didn’t come up with her, don’t worry. There’s always something easier to hit tomorrow – like the Rainbow Pick 6 Jackpot.
Top Payouts for the Week Ended March 22

Wager
 Wager Amount 
 Payoff 
Track
Date
Race#

Win
 $2.00
 $192.00
SUN
3/16/15
7

Place
 $2.00
 $53.40
SUN
3/16/15
7

Show
 $2.00
 $38.00
SUN
3/22/15
9

Exacta
 $1.00
 $387.60
SUN
3/16/15
7

Exacta
 $2.00
 $766.40
LRL
3/21/15
9

Quinella
 $1.00
 $44.30
TUP
3/18/15
8

Quinella
 $2.00
 $235.20
WRD
3/16/15
7

Trifecta
 $0.50
 $531.90
MVR
3/17/15
7

Trifecta
 $1.00
 $3,303.70
FON
3/22/15
9

Trifecta
 $2.00
 $8,312.80
TAM
3/21/15
4

Superfecta
 $0.10
 $6,839.81
SUN
3/16/15
8

Superfecta
 $0.50
 $15,933.00
LRL
3/21/15
9

Superfecta
 $1.00
 $71,879.70
WRD
3/17/15
7

Superfecta
 $2.00
 $9,861.20
CT
3/20/15
8

Daily Double
 $1.00
 $243.50
SUN
3/22/15
7

Daily Double
 $2.00
 $1,469.00
MVR
3/17/15
8

Pick 3
 $0.50
 $3,628.00
SUN
3/16/15
8

Pick 3
 $1.00
 $6,784.30
GP
3/18/15
8

Pick 3
 $2.00
 $2,414.80
WRD
3/16/15
5

Pick 4
 $0.50
 $11,330.65
FG
3/19/15
5

Pick 4
 $1.00
 $19,665.60
GG
3/20/15
5

Pick 4
 $2.00
 $24,886.80
WRD
3/17/15
9

Pick 5
 $0.50
 $108,365.25
GP
3/21/15
12

Pick 5
 $2.00
 $7,246.40
MNR
3/18/15
9

Pick 5 Jackpot
 $0.20
 $1,970.90
LRL
3/22/15
8

Pick 5 Jackpot
 $0.50
 $17,325.75
FG
3/22/15
10

Pick 6
 $1.00
 $3,977.20
TUP
3/16/15
8

Pick 6
 $2.00
 $385,622.40
SA
3/22/15
9

Pick 6 Jackpot
 $0.20
 $210,973.74
GP
3/18/15
11

Super High Five
 $0.50
 $1,760.40
FG
3/20/15
10

Super High Five
 $1.00
 $29,499.10
GP
3/22/15
12

Super High Five
 $2.00
 $1,345.00
MNR
3/22/15
9

Click here for a complete list of racetracks with abbreviations.

© 2014 Equibase Company LLC, all rights reserved. Data provided or compiled by Equibase Company LLC generally is accurate, but occasionally errors and omissions occur as a result of incorrect data received by others, mistakes in processing and other causes. Equibase Company LLC disclaims responsibility for the consequences, if any, of such errors, but would appreciate their being called to their attention.

Commonly Used Gambling Terms

Account wagering – Betting by internet or phone, in which a bettor must open an account and deposit money with which to bet.
Across the board – A bet on a horse to win, place and show. If the horse wins, the player collects three ways; if second, two ways; and if third, one way, losing the win and place bets. Actually, three bets.
Bounce – An especially poor performance on the heels of an especially good one.
Box – A betting term denoting a combination bet whereby all possible numeric combinations are covered for certain horses.
Bridge jumper – A person who wagers large amounts of money, usually on short- priced horses to show, hoping to realize a small but almost certain profit. The term comes from the structure those bettors may seek if they lose the bet.
Chalk – Betting favorite in a race.
Chalk player – Gambler who wagers on favorites.
Daily Double (or Double) – Type of bet calling for the selection of winners of two consecutive races.
Exacta – A wager in which the first two finishers in a race, in exact order of finish, must be picked.
Exacta box – A wager in which all possible combinations using a given number of horses are selected.
Exotic (bet) – Any bet other than win, place, or show that requires multiple combinations. Examples of exotic wagers are trifecta, Pick 6, Pick 4.
Handle – Amount of money wagered in the pari-mutuel system on a race, full day of races, or entire racing season at a track.
In the money – A horse that finishes first, second or third.
Key horse – A single horse used in multiple combinations in an exotic bet.
Morning line – The starting odds set by the track handicapper.
On the board – Finishing among the first three.
On the nose – Betting a horse to win only.
Overlay – A horse whose odds are greater than its potential to win.
Pari-mutuel – System of wagering where all the money is returned to the bettors after deduction of track and state percentages.
Parlay – A multi-race bet in which all winnings are subsequently wagered on a succeeding race.
Part wheel – Using a key horse or horses in different, but not all possible, exotic wagering combinations.
Pick (6 or other number) – A type of multi-race bet in which the winners of all the included races must be selected. Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5, Pick 6 are commonly used by tracks in the United States.
Place bet – A bet on a horse to finish first or second.
Quinella - Bet in which the first two finishers must be picked in either order.
Show bet – A bet on a horse to finish in the money; third or better.
Speed Figure – A metric that rates a horse’s performance in a race, which is determined by a combination of the horse’s performance and the level of competition he/she competed against.
Trifecta – A bet in which the first three finishers must be selected in exact order.
Trifecta box – A trifecta wager in which all possible combinations using a given number of horses are bet upon.
Underlay – Horse whose odds are more promising than his potential to win.
Win – A bet on a horse to finish first.
Wheel – Betting all possible combinations in an exotic wager using at least one horse as the key.